Two Brothers The Bitter End Pale Ale

Very attractive honey-colored body with a quickly fading white head that leaves some respectable lacing. Powerful hoppy aroma with pine, citrus, and floral being good adjectives. The flavor is not nearly as bitter or hoppy as the aroma would lead you to believe. Smooth and silky on the palate with light carbonation. There’s some malty sweetness up front with some caramel stickiness. The sweetness quickly fades into a mildly bitter end...an apt name for this fine brew!

Best by date of 11/8/08. Pours a clean vibrant copper. Herbal and floral aroma with a waft of musty sweetcorn. Some silage, and clover honey. Seems old, despite being a few months away, and the hops are ridden with mineral and metallic flourishes. Flavor, similarly, is wrapped up in copper hose and iron water bitterness, like flowers that have gone old, though slivers of freshness sparkle through at times, with a light pine resin, wood, and herbs. Sweetness is crisp and comforting; pastry-like, light as almonds, and sandy with a graham cracker sensation. Pear skins and whimpers of vegetal bitterness; increasingly, it intimates fragrant flavors, but they’re continually suffocated by must and metals. Crisp, light-medium palate is tight and somewhat dusty; finishes at length on celery and honey, alternately rough and bitter, clean and sweet. While an example that certainly is not short on water, it has good flavor, and good balance.

This is clearly an an example in which ultimate freshness is a major foundation of its quality. Several months ago on tap it was full of luscious and delicate floral hops, had not the slightest hint of the mineral astringency it now shows, and was clean as a lavender-dusted whistle in the finish. Currently, the parameters have grown somewhat skewed as the hops have spoiled to some degree, and because there is so little substance to the beer it simply couldn’t afford that. Still, it manages, in fine fashion, to be refreshing and comfortable in clean, distant bitterness.

Bottle, thanks to akevitt for sharing. Pours a clear, light amber with off-white head. Aroma of malts, caramel, light perfume and a hint of floral hops. Light malt flavor with bitter, green hops. Slightly watery mouthfeel with a crisp, bitter finish.

Amber pour with a thin, yet tightly bubbled smooth head. Some active carbonating bubbles rise to the surface. Some citrus and pine like hops are the main scent, with some biscuit like malts. Decent enough beer. Pretty good session drinker, nothing to get me overly excited about.

Mild citrus hops in the aroma. Flavor has freshly baked bread with lightly sweet malt. Gold color. A session beer that is good enough for what it is, but fails to leave you with any memory of it.